Champions Wasps moved ominously towards the Zurich Premiership title play-offs
as England captain Lawrence Dallaglio led them to a comprehensive victory over
close rivals Northampton.
Dallaglio's England team-mate Joe Worsley, prop Will Green and wing Tom Voyce
scored tries, with full-back Mark Van Gisbergen adding 16 points from the boot.
Third-placed Northampton, despite second-half substitute appearances by Matt
Dawson and Steve Thompson, plus a Bruce Reihana consolation try, were never
seriously in contention.
Wasps' victory, their 15th of the league campaign, leaves them just one win
away from securing Heineken Cup qualification for next season and clinching a
play-off berth. Their final three Premiership games are against Leeds,
Gloucester and Leicester.
But they also still have a chance of overhauling leaders Bath, whose current
advantage stands at five points.
Wasps produced some virtuoso passages of play, with lock Simon Shaw leading
impressively from the front, and they will go into next weekend's home Heineken
Cup quarter-final against Gloucester as firm favourites.
Although Dallaglio might have endured a disappointing RBS 6 Nations campaign
back at the England helm, European and domestic honours offer attainable
compensation.
Despite the game's importance, Saints coach Wayne Smith opted to put England
pair Dawson and Thompson on the bench, while injuries ruled out their red rose
colleagues Ben Cohen and Paul Grayson.
Wasps boss Warren Gatland though, had no hesitation fielding England trio
Dallaglio, Worsley and Josh Lewsey as his team looked to maintain second
position.
Saints knew that defeat would leave them facing a dog-fight for third spot
with Gloucester, who were just two points behind them before kick-off, but their
supporters appeared in force among a capacity 10,000 crowd at the Causeway
Stadium.
Wasps displayed some neat touches early on. Dallaglio and Worsley were both
prominent, while it took a superb cover-tackle to keep out Lewsey following
centre Fraser Waters' incisive midfield break.
Fly-half Alex King should have opened the scoring on 12 minutes, but he rifled
a 30-metre drop-goal chance wide, which was a poor reward for escalating Wasps
pressure.
Saints could not get out of their own half, and Van Gisbergen slotted a
penalty to give the home side a deserved lead.
Northampton responded by launching a brilliant counter-attack from inside
their own half, but the Wasps defence managed to haul down wing Oriol Ripol and
then deny them quality second-phase possession.
Northampton kept the pressure on, twice opting for attacking lineouts rather
than penalty kicks at goal, yet Wasps secured turnover ball and King gratefully
arrowed a clearance punt into touch.
Wasps regained the initiative through a bullocking run by Shaw, and their
opening try resulted from his immense physical power.
He smashed through Saints centre John Leslie's challenge, and after hooker
Trevor Leota took the move on, quickly recycled ball saw Van Gisbergen give
Worsley a scoring pass. Van Gisbergen converted, which opened up a potentially
decisive ten-point gap.
Van Gisbergen added a second penalty just before the break, finding his range
from 48 metres, and then he completed his hat-trick as Saints trooped off at
half-time 16-0 adrift, in danger of suffering an emphatic reversal.
Wasps reinforced their dominance within five minutes of the restart,
collecting a second try following crisp approach work by King and Shaw.
Their neat inter-passing opened gaps in the Northampton defence, and Green
charged through a huge gap to touch down. Van Gisbergen's conversion merely
compounded Saints' sense of dejection.
Smith responded by making a triple substitution - Dawson, Thompson and prop
Robbie Morris all appeared off the bench - but England scrum-half Dawson went
into the centre instead of Leslie.
Reihana scored a neat try after 59 minutes, yet they had no chance of
retrieving a game that had long since disappeared over the horizon.
Van Gisbergen opened the final quarter by slotting his fourth penalty, and
then Voyce sprinted clear to score when Northampton spilled possession after
running optimistically out of defence.
Teams:
Wasps: van Gisbergen, Lewsey, Waters, Abbott, Voyce, A. King,
Howley, Dowd, Leota, Green, S. Shaw, Birkett, Worsley, Volley,
Dallaglio.
Replacements: Denney for Waters (77), Erinle for Abbott (77),
Biljon for Howley (81), Gotting for Leota (77),
Payne for Green (66), Skivington for Birkett (77),
Lock for Volley (79).
Tries: Worsley, Green, Voyce.
Cons: van Gisbergen 2.
Pens: van Gisbergen 4.
Northampton: Reihana, Beal, Hyndman, Leslie, Ripol, Drahm,
Robinson, Smith, Richmond, Taumepeau, Lord, Connors, Blowers,
Fox, Soden.
Replacements: Brooks for Hyndman (67), Dawson for Leslie (48),
Budgen for Smith (77), Thompson for Richmond (48),
Morris for Taumepeau (48), Phillips for Connors (77),
Seely for Soden (51).
Tries: Reihana.
Att: 10,000
Ref: Tony Spreadbury (RFU).
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